


Material

by TeelLilies



Series: When the Stars Align [2]
Category: Warframe
Genre: And also Ordis is a dad change my mind, Both Biz and Umbra are dads and should be portrayed as such, Comfort No Hurt, Found Family, Gen, Gender neutral operator - Freeform, Mentions of Death, Paternal Relationship, Umbra does his best, Umbra is a bit of a mess but he's trying, Warframe - Freeform, not romantic in any way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 18:04:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18628459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeelLilies/pseuds/TeelLilies
Summary: When the Operator is away, Umbra has time to wander. Not just around the orbiter either.





	Material

**Author's Note:**

> It's been ten years but here's a sort of sequel to Guardian. From Umbra's point of view this time. I'm really liking writing the whole found family thing with Umbra and the operator so I'm probably going to keep doing it when I feel like it, especially because I'm really starting to like writing Umbra. Anyways, sorry this took me so long to post, school is killing me.

The Orb Vallis, was frigid, cold air searing the tattered remains of what had once been lungs. But… despite the place seething with corpus life, and brimming with the kind of money hunger that made Umbra sick to his stomach, it was oddly peaceful. The snow was cold under him, the wind dragging his scarf back and forth over his back as he aimed down the sights of his tranq rifle. 

It was strange to be out without his newfound ‘Operator’. Tenno, whatever. They were away for… a week or so, he was sure that’s what they’d said. Said something about relays, clans, and said he could have full run of the ship and the system as long as he didn’t get into any trouble. 

Strange, how a kid that couldn’t be older than 14 was telling him what to do. He couldn’t find it in himself to care, the kid cared about him, he knew that was why they worried. 

They’d grown on him. Maybe it was how much they resembled his own son, maybe it was the kinship found in the fact that they had both lost everything and everyone. Maybe it was just because there was a burning loathing towards Ballas and this ‘Lotus’ the child spoke about that had settled itself in his chest. There was no reason a child should have to be patrolling the system…

He didn’t let himself get lost in his thoughts though, snapping back to reality as a virmink inched its way into his scope. 

Right, he was hunting. 

The helpful voice of the man he’d grown to know as Biz over the past couple days chimed into his comms, wired in by Ordis, telling him to take his shot carefully. 

Umbra had seen his Tenno hunt before. They could be a little too eager, too ready to help and too excited to trade the tags in for the handmade plush animals Biz handed out to the Tenno in piles. But he focused with all the rigid training of a dax soldier, stilling himself as he waited for the right moment. 

The virmink didn’t know what hit it, turning to run out of surprise. In seconds though, the creature hit the ground, out cold. 

Umbra rose from the snow, shaking off the white powder and hitching the rifle onto his back as he approached the animal. The creatures were interesting, soft, unlike the rest of the world hardened by industry, the ripples of the Orokin empire. 

The vermink squirmed as it was tagged and lifted into the air by Biz’s drone, glossy black eyes looking to Umbra fearfully. 

“You may want to come back soon, we’re expecting a brutal cold cycle in about an hour, and you’ve been out for over a day now.” The voice chimed into his comms, making Umbra blink. Had he been out that long? He’d gotten lost in the rhythm of hunting the animals down, tagging them and sending them into Biz, it was… calming in a way. It felt like he was doing good for once, in more than one way. 

The walk back to the huge gates of Fortuna was relatively uneventful. Umbra had learned his way around corpus settlements quickly, and could pass unseen for the most part. How? He wasn’t really sure, he was a dark speck against white snow, but as long as he wasn’t bothered he didn’t really want to think about how the corpus missed him. 

Umbra allowed himself to zone out while he listened to the mechanical rattle of the elevator sinking down below the crust of the planet. The Solaris were interesting people, industrious. But he supposed they had to be, with Nef Anyo shadowing over them like a credit-mongering predator. 

God if that didn’t sound familiar. 

Usually Fortuna teemed with life, with Solaris going about their days, Tenno mingling with the crowd tucked safely within their respective warframes. But when he stepped from the elevator it was… pretty desolate. Eudico wasn’t even at her post. He supposed that the people were resting for the cold cycle, and all the Tenno were away stowed into their own orbiters. 

He followed the usual path to Biz’s alcove, weaving between supports and stepping over the occasional stream of coolant across the floor. Most of the other ‘shops’ seemed empty for the evening, lights off, some even had grates pulled down in front of their alcoves. 

Even the conservator’s lights were low. He didn’t look up as Umbra approached, busy with a pile of servofish on the dismantling table. A pile of tags sat next to him, which he lifted a hand to push slightly towards Umbra. 

“I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone bring in so many catches at once.” The comment seemed offhanded, but there was a question under the surface as Umbra moved over to scoop up the pile of tags. He tried to ignore it. He liked Biz well enough. The conservator was quiet, well-meaning, didn’t ask many questions. So he just shrugged in the corner of Biz’s vision, before moving to a clean table to sort through the tags he’d accumulated over the day, stacking them in piles of three to figure out how many plush toys he was bringing back to the orbiter. 

The silence stretched out, only broken by the clicks and snaps of Biz skillfully taking apart the machine on his table. Umbra watched the other man from the corner of his eye as he finished sorting out his tags. He’d brought in enough to haul five of the ‘floofs’ back to the ship, along with an assorted few other tags that he’d save for later. 

He’d been spending his week alone doing… well, things he didn’t really want to admit. 

The Tenno, the kid was growing on him. They did their best, but it was painfully obvious that they were hurting for some shred of a childhood that they’d been denied. Umbra wouldn’t call himself soft, he was a Dax after all, they trained young and fought young. But he was a little changed, he could see his tenno starting to crumble under the weight of what was expected of them sometimes. 

Besides, they’d gone out of their way to track him across the system, persevering beyond being struck down countless times while he was in a blind rage. They’d taken the time to help him. 

So maybe bringing back piles of furs and blankets from the ostrons, and a handful of Biz’s wares was his way of thanking the tenno. Just the first dent in repaying them for… well, saving him. 

“You’re not one of them are you?” The question was bland, but curious from across the room. It had Umbra looking up from the neat piles of tags to where Biz was carefully wiping oil from his hands, not looking to the frame standing behind him. 

“One of the Tenno, I mean. The… Children.” He finally turned, leaning back against the counter slightly. Umbra could feel the Solaris’ eyes on him, even as the lights that flickered when Biz spoke went dim. 

Umbra wasn’t an idiot, he knew Biz was an observant man, smarter than he let on really. But he hadn’t expected for him to pick something like that out so easily. He knew he looked like just another frame… if a bit, unique. But maybe it was because he’d been there with his Tenno before, Biz had talked to them, they’d made quiet conversation while his operator learned to take apart a servofish. 

So instead of denying it, as there was no point, and nobody else around, he just gave a small shake of his head. 

“I didn’t think so.” Biz hummed, thoughtful before he pushed away from the table, moving instead to look at the tags Umbra had sorted out, and then to retrieve a pile of stuffed animals from where he kept them. 

“They act different, they get excited about these things.” He continued to speak as he plucked the right things from his wares, piling them into the curve of his arm as he spoke, back to Umbra once more. 

“It’s the least I can offer them I suppose.” Biz quieted for a moment, before clearing his throat and shaking his head. Umbra had to wonder what he was rambling about. Sure he could be talkative, but Umbra wasn’t sure where the rambling had come from. 

“If I knew they were so young I never would have called them here.” Umbra paused at that, eyeing Biz curiously as a pile of the stuffed animals was dumped on the table. He didn’t pick them up so quickly, waiting for Biz to elaborate. He found himself wishing more than ever that he could at least make facial expressions. But Biz seemed to pick up on the blank expectant look nonetheless. 

“I didn’t realize, at first. They never leave their warframes.” Biz sighed, planting his hands on the table as he looked at Umbra. 

“I didn’t know until one of them accidentally killed a pobber out on a hunt. They hit it one too many times with a tranquilizer and it’s systems couldn’t handle it. I let it go, they’re common animals.” He shrugged slightly, before lifting a hand to rub over the side of his metal head. 

Umbra stood still, just listening. It sounded like Biz needed to talk about it, about something. Perhaps he’d spoken about it to other Solaris, but Umbra knew exactly what he was talking about. The Tenno were kids they didn’t need to be pulled into protecting a colony of fully grown solaris, or fighting Teralysts that could take them down in one lucky shot. They didn’t need to be raiding grineer bases or thwarting corpus weapon projects. 

“I didn’t think much of it, but they brought the creature back here. Carried it all the way back to Fortuna, and then when they got here they actually… Well, he came out of his warframe.” Biz hung his head a bit, and Umbra could feel the guilt washing off of the other man in waves. 

“You would have thought the kid had just hit a button to destroy the system, he was so distraught, holding that pobber, and just, started crying…” The solaris’ voice dropped, a mutter at that point. 

“They’re just kids, you know that right?” The other man looked up at Umbra, who gave a slight nod. Yes, he did know, that was why he was there. He’d seen his Tenno light up at the smallest things, the first time he’d gone fishing with them, teaching them how to hold their spear better, seeing them beam when they pulled a huge lungfish out of the lake. 

Maybe they’d light up the same way when they found their orbiter full of soft, welcoming things instead of the cold, impersonal way the orbiter had been designed. 

It wasn’t fair, what the Tenno had been shaped into, how they’d been bent against their will into warriors, into guardians. When they weren’t even old enough to have left their own parents. Umbra had a feeling Biz thought that way too. Especially as the other man picked up one of the plushies from the pile kept safe and clean in the back of his shop. 

“I can’t exactly pay them for their work, but after that… I wasn’t going to let them go empty handed. They’re children, if I can offer them even something that makes them a little happy, perhaps it means something.” He shook his head again, setting the toy back down and pushing the pile towards Umbra.

“Take care of them would you? I don’t know if the other frames work like you, but… Take care of them.” He muttered. Umbra gave another nod, finally moving to scoop up the pile. He’d have to get Ordis to bring the ship in close to properly get all the plush toys loaded, but he’d figure it out. 

“My thanks. It’s good to know at least one of them is being looked out for.” Biz moved away from the table, back to the counter with the half-dismantled piece of machinery splayed out across it. 

Umbra had a feeling the conversation was over, and after making sure he had a good grip on all of the plush toys he’d been handed, he headed out, sending a silent signal to Ordis that it was time to go. 

After loading all the toys up into the ship, and returning to the orbiter himself, Umbra set about getting everything settled into the tenno’s quarters. The room was sparse at first, when he’d been left alone at the beginning of the week. But he’d since been back and forth to the Ostrons and Solaris. A few fur rugs had been thrown across the floor, the couch had blankets and pillows draped over it, the product of a lot of silent trading in the Ostron marketplace. 

With Ordis’ help he’d even hung up some tapestries, also courtesy of the Ostrons. A pile of cushions occupied a lot of the floor in front of the window, Umbra thought the pillows, rugs and blankets softened the hard edges of the orbiter’s design. And it was in that room that he made the so-called ‘floofs’ at home, placing them around the room until he was satisfied, before he turned his attention to other things. 

There were small things to be done around the ship, foundry projects that had been waiting to be finished, mods to sort through. 

Umbra busied himself with these for the most part for the next couple of days, simply content to wait for his Tenno to return. He checked back in with Solaris periodically, making sure they didn’t need an extra hand on deck. But otherwise he spent a lot of time meditating, reading codex entries, listening to Ordis talk about his dear ‘operator’ and how upset he was that they’d been betrayed by the Lotus. 

Since he’d returned to the Orbiter, he often heard Ordis talking, whether he was absently muttering to himself or trying to tell Umbra some long-winded tale of something the Tenno had done. It didn’t bother him much, in fact it filled the silence, and he could respect that. It was better listening to Ordis ramble on and on about this kid he’d grown fond of than it was to let himself get lost in his own thoughts. It helped him relax when he sat on the floor of the orbiter, weapons piled about him as he cleaned them, sharpened blades, oiled gun barrels. 

He zoned out as he worked, sitting in front of the arsenal and listening to Ordis’ tittering with half an ear. But it was when the cephalon’s tone changed that he looked up from the blade in his lap. 

“Operator! It’s good to see you again, how was the dojo?” Ordis’ voice chimed over the ship systems as Umbra listened for footsteps, rising and beginning to put weapons away. He didn’t hear the Tenno’s voice at first, assumed that they were in another room, probably just getting in from the aforementioned dojo. 

According to Ordis apparently their Tenno sometimes met with others, and sometimes that took longer than a couple days. Umbra supposed he didn’t mind, it gave him time to get things done after all. 

Once he was finished putting weapons away, he wandered back to the Operator’s quarters, where he usually lurked when he wasn’t actively doing something else. He had a feeling that if His Tenno was going to look for him anywhere it would be there. 

So he settled on a rug in front of the window, legs folded neatly, watching the cosmos slide by as he always did when he was thinking, or just taking a moment to relax really. He was content to wait for the kid to come to him. They likely had things to check on upon returning to the ship, would likely talk to Ordis for a moment before retiring. Umbra had noted their usual rhythm, how they divided the time they spent on their orbiter between planet-hopping for missions. 

He knew well enough to start listening for footsteps a few moments before he caught them. The soft pattering had him perking up, head inclining ever so slightly towards the door as he heard the click and whir of fine-tuned hydraulics. What was abnormal was the fact that the footsteps stopped as he heard the doors settle into their recesses in the wall. Umbra listened for a long moment before he heard the soft creak of a familiar voice. 

“Umbra?” He ended up turning a bit, shifting his legs and inclining his head towards the tenno standing in the doorway looking shocked. He knew the space had looked much different when the operator had left. There had been a handful of Ayatan treasures dotting the shelves. Umbra had admittedly moved them to other places in the orbiter as reminders of the Orokin made his skin crawl. He’d instead filled the plexiglass shelves with little trinkets. Small statues, interesting crystals and rocks he’d pocketed while in the Vallis or the plains of earth. 

The whole room had been transformed and he got to watch as the tenno took that much in. A room that had been cold and impersonal when they’d left was draped in colorful fabrics, though patterns and colors may not have matched it was far more alive than what they’d left. There were stuffed visages of Venus’ wildlife strewn about the room and Umbra himself sat in the midst of a large pile of pillows and cushions he’d collected to make a makeshift bed out of the alcove. It’d certainly be more suited to the tenno than the hard-looking excuse for furniture that was the couch in the room. 

“Did you do this?” The words were quiet as the tenno finally stepped into their room. Wide eyes traced the myriad of warm colors and softened edges of the room, and Umbra watched them the whole time. They didn’t seem to react one way or the other for the moment, and he just watched the surprise unfold over their face as they stepped deeper into the room, one hand dropping to feel over a blanket that’d been tossed onto the couch. Umbra couldn’t remember what he’d traded for it, but it was likely a lot of claws, wings and various fish guts. The Ostrons had an interesting trading system.

When wide eyes moved back to him though, he simply gave a small nod. There was no reason to lie of course. How else was he supposed to keep himself occupied for the time the operator had been gone? Sure he could have run missions but it felt different without the kid. For the time being he contented himself with watching them though, eyeing how they moved soundlessly around the room, feet padding over thick carpet as they moved around touching everything, eventually settling for picking up a vermink plush that seemed half their size at least before they moved over to where Umbra still sat. 

He returned to his place, watching the stars slide by as he listened to the tenno sit beside him, settling the large plush toy into their lap. They looked so small compared to the thing, slim arms wound into warm-looking fur and a sharp chin propped on top of the stuffed toy. The silence stretched out for a long moment, and Umbra could tell they were processing quietly. His tenno was quiet enough, and he just patiently awaited their reaction. Granted he hadn’t done what he had just for their reaction, more because it felt like the right thing to do. But he still perked up a bit when he felt a slim frame slump against his side. 

The old dax tried not to startle as he turned his gaze down to the tenno seated comfortably in the pile of pillows. They still had their arms wrapped around their plush toy, legs still folded under themself, they just had their head against his upper arm and their weight pressing into him. It wasn’t unwelcome, just unexpected. 

“Thank you.” They spoke up eventually. It was simple, frank. But it spoke more than the kid needed to. Umbra knew what they meant. It was just difficult for them to articulate much more than that. He’d noticed as much over time with the kid. They tended to just accept whatever happened around them and never really had anyone offer them genuine kindness aside from Ordis’ well meaning comments and efforts to make their life a little easier. So instead of brushing it off, he just offered another small nod. There was nothing to it. He was simply taking care of someone he’d grown to care for. 

They passed the rest of their day in quiet. The operator wandered about their quarters, moving things about, re-piling pillows into the alcove around Umbra’s unmoving form. It was quiet, and he enjoyed it. He let himself get lost in the shuffle of the tenno moving over thick rugs and dragging cushions into different spots, organizing trinkets more to their liking. He took no offense to it, he’d simply consolidated all the materials into one place that he thought a kid would like. If they wanted to re-arrange further, he didn’t mind in the slightest, and just kept part of his mind on them as they bustled about behind him. 

Eventually they settled down. Umbra remained ever in his spot, off to the left side of the alcove. He watched them haul a handful of blankets across the room to toss them next to him before piling themselves into the cushions. He could have smiled at the way he watched their frame absolutely melt into the grip of actual cushions and not hard cloth-covered benches. They curled in on themselves for a long moment, dragging one blanket over themself and looking out at the stars like Umbra did. They looked like a proper kid curled up in the nest of pillows with a woven blanket pulled up to their nose, watching the cosmos drag by outside. 

It brought a memory rippling to the surface of his mind, a memory of a young boy piling all the cushions in the house into the middle of the living area, insisting for his father to join him. The memory was washed in warm light, in quiet laughter and sheets pulled across the backs of chairs, slipping down to brush the tops of heads. Dax weren’t supposed to be soft, but he could allow himself some softness for Isaah. If only to see the radiant smile of his son when the blankets came crashing down atop them, smothering them into the pile of pillows and making Isaah laugh as he tugged them away from his own head and the old Dax shook himself out of the confines of well-woven fabrics. 

The memory faded as quickly as it’d come, and it was only then that Umbra realized he was staring as obviously as he could have been without any eyes visible to the operator. They were staring right back, dark eyes watching him over the hem of the blanket they’d hunkered down under. He turned back to the stars without a word, without any indication he’d been staring. The memory left a bittersweet taste in his mouth, and had guilt surging back up around him at the thought of his son and what he’d done. 

His tenno never failed to be observant though, and quickly made their presence known again. He didn’t listen for their movement for once, too caught up in his own head until he felt fabric descend around his shoulders and caught sight of the operator moving around in front of him again. His eyes tracked them, curious as he left the blanket where it was, unsure of the intent behind it. The surprises didn’t stop though, and when a slim frame was deposited into his folded legs, Umbra barely knew how to react. The operator just curled right up to him though, legs pulling up and a head bumping into his chest as they pulled their own blanket closer to themselves and held a stuffed pobber close to their chest. 

They offered no explanation, and for some reason… He was ok with that. They didn’t need to explain themselves. The contact was far nicer than it had any right to be, and Umbra soon had his arms draped around the tenno as they settled down and closed their eyes. Something about the contact was reassuring, rewarding in some way that made the past few weeks worth it. 

Biz’s words came back to him then, reminding him to protect them, to protect the tenno curled up in his arms. And as he looked down at the kid beginning to doze off in his arms he made yet another vow to do just that. 

He had lost one child, had taken Isaah’s life with his own two hands. But he’d had another chance deposited right into his lap. He swore to himself that he would never allow the tenno in his arms to be harmed. Not if there was still air in his lungs or fight in his body. Even if it meant making sacrifices. Never again. Granted the tenno had been the one to track him down and help him get back on his feet mentally speaking, but that didn’t mean they had to be the adult. They shouldn’t have to be. Umbra would make sure they didn’t have to be. He solidified the thought in his own head as he held the tenno just a little tighter, pulling the blanket closer around their shoulders as they slipped into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry again that it took me so long to upload! But feel free to drop a comment if you feel like it, I love hearing what people think, especially as this is my first time writing from Umbra's point of view and I really hope I did him justice!


End file.
